Janelle laughed. “Yeah, I guess we better go over them so you can choose which ones you want. Bye, Travis!”
Travis waved and left, and Janelle and I went to the kitchen, where a bag I didn’t notice before was sitting on the counter.
“She brought several different kinds of wards as well as various other things. Let’s talk about your style, so we can find some that will blend with your normal look.”
I gestured to my outfit, which was just an old sweater and jeans. I had a plain watch on and that was the extent of my jewelry. “What you see is what you get. I wear variations of this same outfit pretty much all the time, little to no makeup and minimal jewelry. I am not opposed to jewelry, I just don’t have a lot. I left most of it with my mom when I moved here.”
“Okay. That’s easy to work with. Since you don’t wear a lot of jewelry normally, we can start there. Here are some rings and a necklace. The necklace has a really long chain, so it can hang under your shirt and no one would see it. I recommend at least three pieces. Then we can talk about the other things she brought.”
The necklace was a big, metal Celtic symbol and was ugly, and so were most of the rings, but one ring practically called to me. “I’ll take the necklace and keep it under my shirt like you suggested, and this ring.” I picked it up. It was clear, with blue swirls. Gold inlay was embedded in an intricate design resembling several of the designs I saw on the door. It was warm to the touch and glowed ever so slightly. “Why is it glowing?”
She smiled gently. “I can’t see the glow. It’s glowing to call you to it. You are meant to have that ring.” She glanced around at the rest of the pieces scattered over the table. “None of the other pieces interest you?”
“Nope, the rest are all ugly.” I grimaced. “Sorry, that was rude.”
She laughed again. “Don’t be sorry. These kinds of wards only work right if you value them or they call to you.”
She pulled out another bag. “This has some other things in it. Essential oils and odds and ends. Most of this stuff is very specific to ward certain kinds of beings, but we may find some in here that will help.” She dumped it carefully on to the counter.
A blue bottle with a cork that was stained red was faintly glowing. “This is glowing too. What is it?”
“That is iron powder. It works against all Shadoewynne, but you have to get them to touch it. If it is glowing, then you are meant to have it. Anything else?”
“Nothing obvious.” I slowly looked through the rest of the items. One was a small dagger the size of a sewing needle. “What possible purpose could this serve?”
“That is made of iron as well, which can be deadly to any full blooded Shadoewynne. While it is not big enough to actually kill them, it will stop them from using their magic if it is embedded in them.”
“Huh. Weird. How many things do you recommend I use from this pile?”
“I don’t see anything else, other than the two things you have already looked at, that will work against every Shadoewynne. Since we don’t know for sure who is after you, I don’t really have any recommendations.” She stared at the selection for a bit longer. “Nope, I got nothing. I say you take the four things you have there and we get some sleep.”
“That sounds good to me.” We headed up the stairs, and she showed me my room for the night. I quickly got ready for bed and laid down. I had a feeling sleep was going to be elusive tonight. I always have a hard time sleeping in strange places the first night, and my mind was still racing with everything that I had learned. After tossing and turning for over an hour, I decided to go downstairs and get something to read. I quickly picked out a scroll and headed back upstairs to my room. As I passed David’s room, I heard his voice, so I stopped. It was wrong, but I knew that they weren’t telling me things, so I was hoping he was talking about something he was holding back. He sounded angry, though.
“I wish we knew why her mom lied to her. Everyone knows that Shadoewynne blood doesn’t dilute completely.” There were a couple seconds of quiet, as he listened to the person on the other end. “I know, but she means a lot to me, and we can’t protect her if we don’t know the whole story.” There was another brief pause, and then he said, “Alright, bye.” A thunk was followed by footsteps toward the door. I rushed to my room, and quietly shut the door.
Hopefully, he hadn’t seen or heard me. I didn’t want him to know I was snooping, especially since he seemed to have been talking about me. That conversation did nothing to help my nerves. I had thought Mom was holding something back, but to hear she may have been outright lying to me broke my heart. I tried to put it out of my mind as I laid back down on the bed and started reading the scroll. Something about these scrolls made me sleepy. As with the last time, I drifted off to sleep quickly.
The alarm on the phone woke me. It seemed that I had a quiet, dreamless night, and I felt quite refreshed. It was an odd feeling. I had never been a morning person, so when I woke up feeling good and not drowsy, it was very weird. After collecting the items I needed for my shower and clothes for the day, I headed down the hall to the bathroom for a shower. The light was on and the door was slightly ajar, so I knocked and peeked around the corner. What I saw dried my mouth. David stood in front of the mirror with a towel around his waist. He stood staring at me in shock, as I tried desperately to come up with something to say. My eyes kept going to his toned chest.
“Uh….I’m sorry.” I shut the door and ran back down the hall to the room I was staying in. Who knew he was built like that? He always wore baggy clothes, so I had no idea he was that fit. I wondered briefly if he worked out, then I shook my head at the thought. I really was in no position to be thinking about guys, or their hot bodies. The blush had finally started to leave my hot face, when David called out “Evalia, bathroom is all yours!”
“Thanks! Sorry again!”
He chuckled. “It’s fine.” I opened the door and peeked around it at him. He grinned at me as he leaned against the wall, still only in his towel, as he said, “It’s not like I’m naked. But I can be if you want…” He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.
Always the same. I gave him the evil eye as I kept my eyes on his face and said, “Come on, David. You’re really going to try to hit on me now?”
“Now’s the best time. You can see most of what I have to offer.” He gestured to his abs, as he continued, “Not the best part, of course, but…” I shut the door on him and heard him laugh.
I went back to the bed and got my stuff, making sure to grab the protection necklace and ring. I had put the iron powder and small dagger in my purse the night before. I opened the door and dashed down the hallway to the bathroom. After taking my shower, I took the time to blow dry my hair properly. I loved the way it felt hanging down my back when it was straightened, but I seldom take the time to do it, since it takes about an hour to do the right way. I left the bathroom finally feeling like I could take on whatever the world threw at me. Which lasted until I got downstairs and heard Sibhre’s voice in the kitchen.
“I found no answers. The wards I saw were powerful. They had to be set by a full-blooded Shadoewynne. No one registered as residing on Earth has the power to set those wards.”
I walked into the kitchen as Sibhre finished speaking. “So, where does that leave me? Do we need to know who placed the wards in order to remove them? Can you remove them?”
Sibhre looked at me for a moment, then hesitantly answered. “No, we do not have to know, but it would be safer to know. Different beings have different ways of setting wards, and they should be removed in the same manner they were set. For instance, some beings use rocks and some use blood. The door was wood, which is a clue, but not enough by itself. I believe I can remove the ward, but I wish to see this door again. Would you be opposed to another session?”
I thought about it briefly. “We can do another session. I have class this morning, would this afternoon work for you?”
“That will work perfectly. It will allow
me time to gather materials. Shall we meet back here at 3 p.m.?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ve got to go, see you then. Bye!” I ran out the door to school, barely making it to class on time.
Chapter 7
As was usual now, the classes passed in a blur. I wasn’t failing yet, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about finals. There was no way that I was retaining anything. So, instead of listening, I spent the class worrying about this afternoon’s session with Sibhre, and finals.
Once class ended, I stopped by the cafeteria and picked up lunch on my way out, since I was determined not to eat David’s cooking ever again. I shuddered as I thought about it. I ate mechanically, not even tasting it, during the drive back to David’s place, as I thought about The Door, and what was locked away behind it. What kind of special powers did water nymphs have? I assumed they could control water to a degree, but what other things could they do? David was part elf, which sounded kind-of generic to me, but he said his powers involve plants and telepathy. What did that even mean - his power involves plants? Does he talk to them, or can he just make them grow? I should ask Travis and David to demonstrate their powers so I can get an idea what to expect.
The drive to David’s house felt a lot quicker than the last time. I spun the protection ring on my finger as I walked up the path to the front door. Before opening the door, I paused and took a deep breath while closing my eyes. After a moment, the door opened, and Sibhre was staring at me.
“Are you feeling well? We can do this later if you are not up to it.” She glared. “You know it’s not safe to stand out here.”
I sighed. “I’m fine. I just needed a minute. Let’s go inside.”
We went inside and after I threw my backpack into the room I was using, headed to the living room, where Sibhre had set up a circle of candles of varying colors within a circle of what I assumed was salt. At the center of the circle was a single pillow. Sibhre gestured to it. “Please, sit in the center, close your eyes and clear your mind.”
I sighed and followed her directions. As I closed my eyes, she began lighting the candles and chanting in a beautiful, lyrical language. As soon as she stopped, the glowing thread appeared in the darkness in front of me. This time I stood there, just staring at the thread. Sibhre appeared in front of me.
“Come.” She started following the thread to the door. Once we started moving, a hallway appeared around us. The walk seemed much shorter than the last time, and very quickly, we were standing in front of The Door. It seemed even more massive this time. The wards were brighter and the eye glowed with a yellow light.
“Why does it look different?” As I spoke, I walked up to the door and reached out to touch it.
Sibhre grabbed my hand. “Do not touch. It appears someone knew we were coming and is reinforcing the wards. They must be nearby.”
A brief chill ran through me, as I glanced nervously around the room. “Nearby in here, or where our bodies are? Where is here, anyway?”
“Most likely, they are in this dimension, but it is possible they are near our bodies. This is an energy-based dimension that connects our spirits to the physical dimensions in which our bodies reside.”
I glanced around again. Suddenly the silence was deafening and ominous. The walls seemed to recede into the darkness until we were standing in an immense, cavernous space. Sibhre had been studying the door, and when she looked back to me, she jumped. Her foot scuffed on the floor, and it echoed.
“Evalia, you must control yourself. As I said, this is an energy-based dimension, so it takes its appearance from your thoughts. Please focus on a hallway with the door at the end. Close your eyes if you must.”
I sighed. “Okay. I’ll try.” I closed my eyes and focused on a hallway with a door at the end. I tried to picture a bright, sunny, non-threatening hallway, but when I opened my eyes, it looked like something out of a horror movie. The discolored, ancient wallpaper was peeling, and the orange carpet was worn and stained. I peeked toward the door, and squinted at the carpet. A dark, wet puddle that reminded me of blood was seeping from under the door, spreading slowly toward Sibhre’s feet.
She followed my gaze to the puddle and tsked. “That is not acceptable. Please, close your eyes and listen to my words.”
I closed my eyes again. She began speaking softly, just as she did when she led me here the first time. Same as then, her words faded. After a very brief time, she tapped my arm. I opened my eyes. The original sunny, bright hallway I had tried to picture surrounded us now, with no creepy puddle around the door.
“Please remember to try to control your thoughts. You have an instinctive control of this dimension, and, apparently, a very active imagination. It can be extremely dangerous here for those like you. Please, do not come here without me. I will come every day to teach you. Many water nymphs have great control here, due to the similarities between their water powers and the energy powers here. Even with the door, you should have access to a small portion of your power here.” Her voice trailed off as a notebook appeared out of nowhere in her hand. She began taking notes, and studying the door.
I watched her for what felt like a good ten minutes. “Um, what should I do now?”
She jumped. “Oh, my dear, I apologize. Let me set you up some exercises to practice working with your powers.” Two buckets appeared in front of me, one was filled with water and the other one was empty. “You are going to move the water from one bucket to the other. This is hard to describe, but once you find your power within, your instincts will help you. Focus on the water, and you should be able to feel a place inside you that feels like water. When you are calm, it will be still and calm, reflecting you, and when you are angry, it will feel like the rapids that tumble through the river.”
I thought about what she said, and could remember a similar feeling when I was younger. “Okay. Once I find my power, how do I move the water?”
She looked surprised. “Once you find your power, you merely have to think about moving the water, and it will move as you will it.”
That was somewhat disappointing. I had been picturing graceful, dancelike movement that the water would mimic. I guess I watch too much TV. “Alright. I’ll get started then.” I stared at the water for a bit, then my mind started to wander. When I realized, I brought my attention back to the water. Then my attention was drawn to Sibhre, who was still jotting down notes, but now she was talking under her breath to herself in that lyrical language.
She glanced up at me. “What is wrong?”
I sighed. “I’m too A.D.D.” She looked confused. “My mind is wandering and I can’t keep my attention on the task.”
She made a tsk noise. “It is too soon to be giving up. Try closing your eyes and envisioning sitting near a large lake. How the water calls to your soul. The feel of the air near the water. That helps, for some.”
Okay. I hoped I didn’t end up drowning us, with the way this place reacted to my thoughts. She must have been thinking the same thing, because she turned back to me and said, “Make sure you are not thinking about being in the water. Just picture the way it feels to sit near a large body of water. Imagine the way your soul sings when you are at peace with nature.”
I shook my head. “Alright, then.” My disbelief must have shown on my face, because she gently laid her hand on my arm.
“You have great power residing in you. I can feel it, and someone went to a lot of trouble to try to keep you from it. Only someone with a nefarious purpose would cut you off from your power, for without it, your nymph side will slowly wither and die, leaving you all human. I have seen people this has happened to, and they led a sad life, forever missing an integral part of themselves. A small portion of power is seeping through the door, which is just enough to keep your nymph side alive. This door is not new. It has been here for at least two or three years.”
With as dire as her words were, it surprised me that it actually made me feel a little better. “Okay. Thank you, Sibhre, for being pat
ient with me.” She smiled and turned back to the door.
I envisioned a chair. If I was going to have to concentrate for a while, I might as well be comfortable. A giant, overstuffed recliner appeared. I sat down, popped out the footrest, and relaxed back into the seat. I closed my eyes, and tried to remember visiting my friends by Lake Ontario. I could almost feel the lake breeze ruffling my hair, and hear the call of the gulls. Inside my chest, a feeling of peacefulness grew. It was definitely the feeling my soul had when I was surrounded by tranquil nature, with hardly anyone in sight. I thought about moving the water, and opened my eyes to see the last bit of water jump from one bucket to the other. I thought about it moving back, and the water arched gracefully into the air back to the first bucket. I did it several more times, and when Sibhre laughed, I jumped. The last bit of water splashed out, soaking both Sibhre and myself.
She giggled again. “That was wonderful! You are a natural.”
“There is no way that little bit of water soaked us both like this! What happened?”
“I startled you, and you lost your control. The water increased exponentially due to this dimension’s nature. I am done, and we do not want you to over-tire yourself. Let us leave.” She disappeared.
I had forgotten to ask Sibhre how to return. The first time I did it instinctively when I started to panic. Steadying myself, I closed my eyes and pictured returning to my body. I felt a change in the air and opened my eyes.
Everything in the room I was standing in shone like polished gold, including the walls, ceiling and floor. The light was bright and had no obvious origin, and cast no shadows. It was almost like everything in the room was generating its own light. I closed my eyes and tried again to return, but was still in the same place when I opened my eyes.
A big, deep voice echoed through the space. “I have brought you here.”
“Who are you?” I spun in place, looking for the source. With the acoustics in here, I didn’t even know which direction to look. The voice had seemed to come from all around me. The thought that the speaker may not physically be here brought me to an abrupt halt.
A Glint of Shadoewynne: Book 1 of the Shadoewynne Series Page 6
